Monday, October 27, 2014

Bio: Susan Page
Davis is the author of more than 50 novels and novellas in the historical romance,
mystery, and suspense genres. She is the mother of six and grandmother of nine.
A Maine native, she now lives in western Kentucky with her
husband Jim.

Tell us how much of
yourself you write into your characters.

For this particular book, not a lot, but in some of my books
it’s much more pronounced. I find that when writing characters who are about my
age, they become more like me, and when they are in the settings where I spent
a lot of time, they think like I do.

What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?

Well, I’ve never roller skated in a buffalo herd, but I have
hugged a raccoon.

When did you first
discover that you were a writer?

When I was very young I began creating stories. Reading and thinking up
stories was always part of my life, at least since I learned to read at age 4.
As an adult, I spent many years as a nonfiction writer. Finally I decided to
seriously try fiction. I sold my first short story in 2001 and my first book in
2003.

Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I love reading historical fiction and true history, but I
also love mystery and suspense.

How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?

Mostly I ignore the world and let it run. I do enjoy getting
away from my desk for a break. Taking some time to just be with family and
friends refreshes me. I also like to solve ciphers, read, and walk.

How do you choose
your characters’ names?

This is hard for me sometimes. I keep a few baby name books
handy, and I also have a couple of naming websites and the census site bookmarked.
If I hear a name I like and think I might use it later in a book, I put it in a
computer file called “Names.” Now and again I’ll browse through those I’ve
collected.

What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My family.

If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?

By nature, I think I’d be some reclusive, rarely seen critter,
like a pine marten. But real life has made me more sociable.

I’m glad, because if
you were so reclusive, I might now have ever met you. What is your favorite
food?

I love fruit. If you want to make me happy, give me a fruit
salad.

What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Turning off the momentum of everything going on around me
can be a problem. I need a real office and dedicated writing time, so that I’m
not so easily distracted.

Tell us about the
featured book.

In The Westward Christmas Brides, take
the journey into the American West alongside nine women who are chasing their
dreams—Cynthia, for security; Beryl, for a new family; Adeline, for freedom;
Molly, for marriage; Beth, for a new start; Belinda, for a place to heal;
Suzette, for adventure; Juliet, for peace; and Caroline, for a future for her
children. Celebrate Christmas alongside these pioneers as love finds them in
nine distinctly different romances penned by leading Christian fiction authors,
including Wanda E. Brunstetter, Vickie McDonough, Melanie Dobson, and more.

In Another Christmas Story, my novella in The Westward
Christmas Brides collection, the tale opens with another tragedy.
Beryl’s father has been shot in a hunting accident and is critically wounded.
His dire condition forces Beryl and her little brother, Sam, to leave the wagon
train and stay with the family that runs the nearest trading post on the Oregon Trail. Their mother has previously passed away,
and with their father’s death imminent, Beryl has to make some hard decisions.
Will she take Sam on to Oregon,
as her father had planned, or go back East to live with relatives there? In the
meantime, they are stranded by bad weather with the Lassen family for the
winter. Beryl can’t see what’s ahead, but God has plans for her and Sam’s
future.

Please give us the
first page of the book.

Dust hovered in the air as the wagons lumbered along, and
Beryl Jenner coughed. Her shoulders ached from holding the reins all day.
Usually her father drove the team of six mules, but he’d ridden off that
morning with four other men to hunt. Fresh meat would be welcome, but her
father’s presence would be even better.

“Sam, do
you see them yet?” she called over her shoulder.

Her little
brother had been playing in the back of the wagon and keeping her posted
whenever he saw anything interesting outside the canvas cover.

“Not yet,”
came his muffled voice, still babyish though he was four years old, going on
five.

Beryl heard
him scrambling over the crates and sacks in the wagon bed.

“Can I get
down for a while?” Sam asked, squeezing out between her arm and the front
curved wagon bow.

Beryl
wished she could climb down from the wagon seat and stretch her legs too.

Normally, she and Sam
walked most of the day and chatted with the other women and children on the
train, but their father’s absence kept them both cooped up today.

“Not unless
you find someone you can walk with. Do you see Mrs. Markham?”

“No.” Sam
steadied himself with a hand on her shoulder and stood on the seat beside her,
squinting as he studied the scene around them. Straight ahead of their mule
team, another wagon rolled along the rutted trail. Leaning to the side, Beryl
could see trees and bluffs ahead, which probably meant they would be crossing
the river again. Pa would find them at the encampment if the men came in late
from the hunt. But she had no confidence in her own ability to get the wagon
across the river without his expertise.

Sam sighed
and crouched down. “All I see is Danny Bowden and his brother.”

“Well,
those boys aren’t big enough to watch you.”

Sam climbed
over the seat back, into the wagon bed. Beryl could hear him working his way to
the rear. She arched her back in an effort to ease the strain on her muscles.
She hoped they would make camp soon—on this side of the river. Then she could
leave this hard, unyielding board seat. Of course, she would have to unhitch
the team if Pa hadn’t returned, and care for them before making a fire and
getting supper.

“There they
are,” Sam yelled.

Beryl tried
to see around the wagon cover, but it was hopeless. She turned back to her
driving, though the mules plodded along with little guidance, so long as the
wagon ahead kept on at a steady pace.

To her
right, two horses loped past. One rider had a gutted antelope slung behind his
saddle. Beryl smiled. Her father was on his way. Several people called out to
the men, but they didn’t stop. Instead, they rode on toward the head of the
column. Beryl felt a twinge of unease. One of the hunters was Mr. Arnold, and
she knew his wagon was two behind the Jenners’.

She turned
her head and called, “Sam! Do you see Pa yet?”

“Nope.”

Beryl
pushed the brim of her bonnet back and wiped her brow with a grimy
handkerchief. She hoped they would stop long enough to do laundry soon.

A few
minutes later, the wagon master, Mr. Etherton, rode back along the train,
calling out to the drivers, “We’ll make camp a half mile on, near the water.”

It wasn’t
until she had driven her team into position in the wagon circle and begun to
unhitch the mules that Mr. Etherton approached her, accompanied by Mr. Arnold.

“Miss
Jenner?”

“Yes?” She
turned toward them with a tight smile, still fumbling with the straps on one of
the leaders’ bridles.

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Great interview!!!!! Love your books, Susan!!!! God has surely blessed you with a talent for writing! Thank you for blessing us readers with it!!!!! I am anxious to read this Christmas book!!!!Many Blessings and Smiles :)Charlotte Kay, Georgia

Thank you, Ladies! Beth, it was 82 degrees here yesterday, not what I'm used to in late October, so yeah, I can use a little help getting into the Christmas mood. To make it worse, the book I'm working on now is set in summer. Patty, thank you! Prairie Dreams was one of my favorite series to write.

Nice interview. I always learn something new about the authors-I like that you are most proud of your family. I really enjoy collections and Christmas collections are the best, so I would love to win and read this book. sm CA wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com

I love coming on Lena's blog because you all are so supportive. Thanks, everyone! I hope that as the holiday season progresses you have many blessings and a lot of time with your family. I know it can be a sad time. We lost a family member a week before Christmas last year, and it did cause us to be less enthusiastic in our celebrations. But the underlying joy is still there. Even in times of sorrow or stress, Christmas reminds me of who God is, and that He is still in control.

Bonnie, it was a baby raccoon. My father was a game warden (in Maine), and people brought all sorts of orphaned critters to our farm. I don't think the raccoon stayed long. Most of the animals were passed on to the game farm in Gray, Maine. But I know live in western KY, west of the lakes.